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1. The U.S. isn’t alone in needing a change to admissions policies

“Reflecting the difficulty of the journey taken by those from disadvantaged backgrounds should be a common sense principle in university admissions,” said Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, when discussing the radical change that the education charity wants elite UK universities to undergo to promote equity of access. He adds: “giving low and moderate income students a break is the norm” at their U.S. equivalents.

2. Combining to cut costs

Connecticut’s community colleges may be seeing a difference in cost as a proposed plan would combine the 12 community colleges under the direction of a single vice chancellor. The plan would save $28 million and would cause a rise in ranking to the fifth largest community college in the country. How will this affect admissions and potential applicants?

3. Making an unfamiliar system familiar

As the Hispanic population of Montgomery County, Indiana increases, the Journal Review reports that local schools are offering more help to these students, many of whom are the first in their families to pursue a degree or even graduate high school. “Some of our families may not have much background on how to navigate secondary education,” said Amy Carrington, who directs the English-as-a-second language program at Crawfordsville Community Schools. “So it’s hard for them to help their students because not only is it in another language, it’s a different … system than what they’re used to.”

On your quest to admit and retain applicants who will constitute an ideal student body, are you inclined to give more weight to academic transcripts and standardized test scores or would you rather emphasize less-tangible factors that may offer greater insights into the “whole person” behind the application?

That question is at the heart of the concept of “holistic admissions assessment” — also known as “creative skill assessment” or “non-cognitive attribute assessment.”

A Bigger Picture for Better Outcomes?

Simply put, holistic admissions assessments are designed to help “widen your lens” when reviewing applicants by considering personal characteristics, skills and experiences that may not be reflected in traditional grade-based metrics alone.

Whereas traditional admissions policies are likely to favor those who performed well on standardized examinations, holistic reviews attempt to evaluate other factors that could lead to on-campus success. For example, a school that incorporates a holistic review may choose to admit a student with lower test scores than other applicants, but who also has desirable attributes that are more difficult to quantify — such as a track record of success in the arts, community engagement or entrepreneurial endeavors.

In turn, employing holistic admissions standards may help your school achieve important diversity goals by taking into account how an individual was shaped by cultural, family or financial factors, to name but a few. It may also put your school in a better position to identify and serve students’ needs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

According to an article on insidehighered.com, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers has reported that, “Colleges and universities that have added non-cognitive variables to their admissions requirements are finding that these variables are associated with improved outcomes and higher retention, particularly for certain populations. The application of non-cognitive variables is allowing for earlier intervention methods… The end result is stronger preparation, better orientation programs, and mentoring and coaching programs that start on day one.”

Key Characteristics

So what are you looking for in a candidate beyond grades and test scores? While there is no universally agreed-upon list of non-cognitive qualities that need to be considered when holistically evaluating applicants, there are numerous examples cited in literature on the subject. For example, one report indicates that characteristics which may predict on-campus success include:

Other qualities to consider include collaboration, competitiveness, curiosity, creativity, empathy, maturity, motivation, self-control and self-efficacy, which has been defined as “the belief in one’s capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments.”

Uncovering Potential: Tools and Challenges

How do you uncover such qualities?

Two of the most common tools for expressing and assessing non-cognitive characteristics have already been in use for decades: letters of reference and the personal essays that often must accompany an application. These forums, it can be argued, provide an ideal opportunity for applicants (or their letter writers) to create personal portraits that go far beyond a recitation of academic accomplishments and aspirations. A page or two of well-crafted verse has the potential to shed new light on an applicant and illustrate how he or she would make your campus a better place.

Other tools admissions officers can use to gauge applicants range from on-site interviews and observations of people involved in group projects to behavioral assessments and situational judgment tests (SJTs). SJTs, for example, describe hypothetical scenarios and then ask respondents questions about how they would react to those experiences. In theory, their answers shed light on the applicants’ values, intelligence and personality.

It’s worth noting, however, that each of these tools may have inherent shortcomings that cause skeptics to doubt the value of holistic reviews. For example, letters of recommendation may be biased by the writer’s personal feelings about the applicant, good or bad. Also, sincerity and honesty are extremely difficult to judge. Does this letter writer really believe the applicant in question is one of the brightest students ever he ever encountered, or does he say that about every student who asks for a recommendation?

In the same vein, personal essays and in-person interviews are “coachable,” which may detract from their ability to be truly predictive or insightful. In other words, a student may not actually be revealing who she really is, but rather who she thinks you want her to be.

Admissions officers may face additional challenges when trying to implement holistic reviews into their processes. Exactly which attributes will your department agree to assess, and how will you make those assessments in a consistent and fair manner? Once those questions are answered, additional staff training may be necessary in order to help staff understand and navigate this new terrain. Exactly what type of human and financial resources will be required to achieve that goal?

Keep in mind, too, that holistic admissions policies — which often rely on subjective judgments — may make it harder to explain your decision to accept or reject a candidate, particularly when a high academic achiever is passed over in favor on an individual with lower test scores but more attractive personal qualities. In worst-case scenarios, a holistic admissions assessment may also be viewed by skeptics as merely a device that covertly allows racial or cultural biases to factor into your decision-making process.

Start With CASTM

Regardless of the extent to which you incorporate holistic reviews into your admissions strategy, Liaison’s Centralized Application Services (CASTM) provides the flexibility you need to make the best decisions possible. A CAS allows you to collect whatever type of application data you desire and then create a customized display for each user or user group, whether you want to view standard metrics, experiences or personal attributes.

Liaison’s commitment to holistic assessment has resulted in several recent business collaborations that have markedly enhanced the ability of CAS to help you achieve your most important admissions priorities. In late 2016, Liaison partnered with Kira Talent, the first holistic assessment platform designed specifically for colleges and universities. Kira’s interactive media tools, such as timed video and written components, allow admissions decision makers to learn about applicants in ways unavailable through traditional metrics and data alone.

More recently, Liaison acquired SlideRoom, a company renowned for seamlessly incorporating multimedia resources into the admissions process. Again, the driving force behind the venture was Liaison’s deep commitment to holistic reviews — and to providing CAS users with a more powerful product suite to support their admissions strategies.

Note, too, that Liaison also recently formed a partnership with Parchment that allows CAS to receive electronic transcripts by the most widely implemented academic credential management system in the country. Parchment currently works with more that 8,000 organizations to facilitate the digital transfer of student credentials.

These latest innovations won’t be the last for Liaison and its solutions, says George Haddad, CEO and founder. “We have and will continue to leverage state-of-the-art solutions to…deliver significant outcomes through our innovative, dynamic admissions platform.”

Are you leaving your admissions technology decisions to chance?

The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference hosts higher education IT professionals and technology providers from around the world. This year’s conference is at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Pennsylvania from October 31 to November 3.

Stop by Liaison’s booth #844 to see how our Centralized Application Services (CAS™) take the risk out of meeting your enrollment marketing goals. Liaison’s cloud-based recruiting and admissions solutions are so widely adopted that there’s likely already at least one on your campus.

We’re providing the chance to win big — with our admissions technology and with our claw machine game, which will be filled with exciting prizes, like an Amazon Kindle, an Echo Dot and Starbucks cards.

Applicants’, students’ and graduates’ needs drive the Community College of Baltimore County’s services

“It’s not that ‘non-traditional’ has a negative connotation for us. The term just doesn’t apply because we’re not of the same tradition,” shared Ebony Thomas-Butler, admissions coordinator at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) School of Health Professions, during a recent conversation about how her college supports its diverse student population. “We’re focused on creating opportunities for all of those who are interested in higher education. Parents, grandparents, veterans, career changers — we’re here to help all students achieve success.”

As an institution that serves many of the students who the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) would consider non-traditional, CCBC offers great insight into the three-step approach that’s needed to drive success for students from all backgrounds.

Step 1: Start before the application is complete

CCBC streamlines its admissions process because the College recognizes that those who are considering higher education already have enough on their plates before they even start the application process.

“During the months when we’re expecting the highest application volume, we sit down with students at least once a month for one hour CAS Application Workshops, sessions dedicated to walking them through the application, step by step. We go through the transcript request process. We demonstrate the application technology. We talk through common barriers that they might encounter. Increasing familiarity with the process and driving comfort with the technology minimizes unneeded frustration during what’s already a stressful, life-changing process,” Ebony explained.

Once prospective students are ready to apply, they’re met with a modern application experience in the form of Liaison-powered Centralized Application Services (CAS™ and UniCAS™). Regular application status updates and phone/email support along the way allow CCBC to maintain its hands-on support of applicants throughout this stage.

Step 2: Guide enrolled students to graduation

Once students have enrolled, dedicated academic advisors take over, leveraging their experience to guide students as they monitor academic success and also stay on the lookout for when life just gets in the way. “For instance, students — or their parents or their children — get sick and need breaks from academic responsibilities. Or their power gets cut off, and that adds a hurdle to completing the work required for their program,” shared Ebony. “We offer a range of services that help students manage money, learn time management and maintain overall wellness. Sometimes that looks like walking them through getting a bus pass. Other times, it looks like our formal academic development program course.”

Through grant funding, the School of Health Professions employs a project director specifically focused on driving student retention. As a part of this role, the director meets with incoming students and facilitates a “Tools for Success” course focused on personal and professional success. The course covers time management, study skills, test taking and test anxiety as well as general communication skills, and the director continues developing these skills with students during one-on-one sessions that drill down to specific academic concerns. If human services assistance is needed, the director connects students with Success Navigators, college representatives who can help overcome these personal obstacles.

Step 3: Include post-campus opportunities in the definition of “success”

Another component that sets CCBC apart: a focus on what happens after students leave the campus.

“Program directors offer networking opportunities, and we have a career services department that ensures the time and effort these students put in leads to career advancement. In fact, in addition to being attracted by the specialty programs — some of our programs are the only ones offered in Maryland — and our high first passage rates on Board and Certification exams, a main reason that students find their way to CCBC is because they want to start their career as soon as possible. They recognize that we’re here to help them achieve that goal.”

Expand your focus for greater student success

With the risk of student attrition on the rise, higher ed institutions of all types would do well to take an approach similar to CCBC’s. “It all comes down to seeing students as whole people. They’re pursuing degrees or certificates, but that’s not the only thing going on in their lives. By expanding our focus to support them earlier and later in the process, and recognizing that life is unpredictable, we can drive more student success. It benefits our academic communities and society as a whole to support success on and off campus.”